


Role of a Captain

by noyabeans (snowdrops)



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Datekougyou | Date Tech, Gen, Gen Work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-02
Updated: 2017-05-02
Packaged: 2018-10-26 08:11:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10782924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snowdrops/pseuds/noyabeans
Summary: Futakuchi loses his voice one month before Inter-High. All is not as bad as it seems.





	Role of a Captain

Despite the ten lozenges he must have popped yesterday, Kenji’s sore throat hasn’t improved a single bit. On the contrary, it appears to have worsened. Worsened, meaning he has lost his voice, as he discovers when he’s trying to ask his sister to pass the milk.

No can do, he thinks to himself with a huff as he strides out of the house, hands tucked in pockets and his sister’s mocking laughter ringing in his ears. It’s just his voice. Every other part of him feels perfectly fine. He can still go for training, no problem. He’ll just have to get someone else to do the yelling for hi- _right_ , that’s probably why his voice is missing in the first place. After all, _someone_ has to do the yelling. It’s four weeks to Inter-High, but there’s still a lot for the team to do.

Aone doesn’t bat an eye when Kenji holds up the notebook page where he’s scrawled _I have no voice_. Rather, he raises an eyebrow, and his lip even curls a bit, _how dare_! So Kenji scribbles another line: _Stop delighting in my misery_.

But not having a voice stops Kenji from literally nothing else. He can’t talk during lunch, which is, admittedly, a bummer, but he makes up for it by chewing as noisily as he can. Aone is quiet and understanding despite it all, which Kenji appreciates. If only all his friends could be like Aone.

Unfortunately, not all his friends are like Aone. Onagawa laughs for five minutes straight when he realises Kenji can’t talk, before proceeding to inform the whole team of the latest development of Kenji’s throat. He isn’t the only one laughing. Kenji wonders when he began raising a team of traitors, because right now he’s feeling utterly betrayed.

Thank goodness Obara is kinder, Kenji thinks as he shows Obara his notebook, where he’s written _3 rounds, 5 intervals, A vs B_. Obara will never go against him.

He immediately retracts that statement, however, when Obara passes the message to the team and tacks on at the end, “Now, now, no complaints, or Futakuchi will make all of you run extra laps.”

Kenji glares at him indignantly. What _blasphemy_ , Obara! Aone just claps a heavy hand on his shoulder in sympathy before jogging out of the gym, the rest of the team following close behind.

When Kenji returns to the gym, having paced one of the first-years through his laps, Nametsu has arrived as well, the team’s junior manager next to her as they hand out ice-cold bottles to everyone. She catches sight of him, and instead of handing the bottle in her hand to him, actually sets it down on the bench.

Kenji’s about to ask _WHY_ in as loudly a nonverbal way as he can manage when she reaches into the ice box and pulls out a flask, before tossing it to him with a bright smile. “It’s good to hear you shut up for once, but we need our captain’s annoying voice back! Honey lemon, as requested by Onagawa.”

Onagawa looks thoroughly betrayed by Nametsu’s name-drop. “Wasn’t the plan to make him feel unloved?”

Nametsu sticks her tongue out at him from across the gym. Kenji’s heart is _definitely_ not warming from the sight. Definitely. Not.

“Alright, starters versus benchers,” Obara calls, to whoops from the team, which is… surprising. Kenji’s always tried to make it a point not to draw such a distinct line between Team A and Team B, worrying that it’ll make those on Team B feel less worthy (which, of course, is ridiculous, since they’re in _Dateko_ ), but it seems like they’re perfectly fine with Obara calling them benchers.

As if reading Kenji’s mind, Obara grins. “We’re the iron wall, our hearts aren’t made of glass.”

Right, Obara was a bencher too, before Moniwa-and-friends stepped down.

Kenji just huffs out a breath and nod, before taking his position next to Aone. Right before the whistle blows, he shifts a few steps over to nudge Aone in the side. _We’re playing for keeps._ Aone nods, and turns to face forward.

They finish the match when the clock strikes seven, right on time for them to call an end to practice for the day.

As per Dateko tradition, calling an end to practice involves Kenji giving the team a small pep talk on what to work on during training tomorrow.

Except -- Kenji has no voice. When the team turns to look expectantly at him, he makes a grab for the notebook that he’s left next to Nametsu on the bench

He’s only just grabbed the book when Onagawa stands up and clears his throat.

“Alright, kids,” Onagawa says, voice echoing off the gym walls. Kenji wonders if that’s how he sounds whenever he makes his end-of-practice speech. “All of you were great today.”

The team cheers; it sounds like a small market. “Koganegawa, make your tosses higher. Sakunami, your receives are good but send them higher to Kogane. Make him work for the ball!”

It goes on, every member getting some form of feedback or another, until Onagawa turns to Obara and Aone and says, “Did I miss anything?”

Obara shakes his head, but Aone says, to everyone’s surprise, “You forgot to add the part about faking it till we make it.”

Kenji cringes. _Aone, I thought we were friends._

Onagawa guffaws. “Right, I forgot to add that. Thanks, Aone.”

Then there’s a shuffle next to Kenji: Nametsu, of all people, interrupts. “You also forgot to say that even without Futakuchi at full capacity, Dateko’s still going to the top.”

“I thought that was common knowledge,” Obara interjects, and Aone nods in agreement. “We don’t need Futakuchi, do we?”

Kenji gives them a wounded look, but then Aone speaks.

“We don’t need Futakuchi, but we’re following you anyway.”

No, Kenji’s heart is absolutely not moved. Not at all. Not a single bit.

**Author's Note:**

> Love Dateko, y'all.
> 
> This was first written for the [hqsecondyears zine](https://haikyuu2ndyears.tumblr.com/), which is dedicated to the second years of Haikyuu!! The final story that I submitted to the zine is something else entirely, so I thought I'd just publish this. There are lots of amazing artists and writers taking part in the zine, so please do support us [here](http://ohohohobro.tictail.com/)! :D
> 
> Talk Dateko to me:  
> [tumblr (rielity)](https://rielity.tumblr.com/) | [twitter (noyabeans)](https://twitter.com/noyabeans)


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